Movie Availability on iTunes May Be Temporary

[Zadillo]

Yeah, seriously, it's like they still just don't get it.

We've now got a basic framework in place, and it seems like the main limiting factor now is no longer necessarily technology, but content rights.

If it wasn't obvious before, it should be obvious now - the future can and should be one in which ANY movie or music is available for purchase or rental or streaming or whatever. This idea of only making some stuff available while other stuff is pulled, or having some content at one store but not another, is ridiculous.

There's no reason not to make their entire libraries available; this isn't like old media stuff where you have to decide what to leave in print or let go out of print. If you want to put some restrictions like higher prices for new release stuff, fine, go ahead, but basically what they're doing now is telling consumers "Oh, we've decided this particular movie isn't going to be available to you at this time via this method; feel free to go buy a DVD or wait until we get our heads out of our asses".

 

[RTiii320]

LAME

I had this happen to me sort of as well, My buddy had downloaded a movie a few weeks backs and the other day I received a itunes gift card. When I decided to get that same movie it was no longer available! I thought he was lying about getting it on itunes because I could not find it anywhere!

i repeat

L A M E

 

[Michael CM1]

just shows that the big companies STILL don't know how to utilize the internet and this new market ....

What do you expect when they put people near retirement age in charge of this stuff? I have to educate my 62-year-old dad on most technology, and he will kinda get it on a basic level after awhile. My 60-year-old mom is hopeless. I can't even get her to use a Mac even though she keep complaining about how complicated this and that is on Windows.

People who want to pirate will pirate. Now I don't consider ripping a DVD that I already own pirating. Despite that whole DMCA, I bought the thing and I just want it in a different format. It's the exact same concept behind ripping CDs to MP3, and the music industry has benefitted from that because you now have people like me who actually listen to stuff. I hated carrying around even 24 CDs, so the use of iPods makes me spend more money on their stuff!

Let iTunes and other approved software (the studios can license this somehow) rip DVD movies to a computer and sync with media players. Have it rip in some DRM format, but allow us the same rights we have with iTunes. They're already kinda doing this with the digital copies. Sure, people will still pirate movies, but YOU CANNOT STOP THIS. Piracy will be around as long as there is stuff to be pirated.

 

[daddywags214]

Perhaps TV/Cable providers are pressuring (paying) movie studios to pull their content from online providers so that more people will watch them on TV. Perhaps TV/Cable providers are in turn being pressured by their advertisers. Darn greedy capitalists!

 

[garylapointe]

Songs have disappeared too

I've seen this happen with albums and/or songs in the past. They just aren't there any more.

Silly to me, since they don't take "shelf space" but if someone doesn't want Apple selling their music or movies, I guess that's up to them.

Gary

 

[/dev/toaster]

I think its painfully clearly, the movie studios don't want my money. Why else would they go to great lengths to make it so difficult for me to legitimately purchase content.

Then they sit there and complain about people ripping off their stuff on pirate bay. Well, what do you expect ... we live in a digital age where brick and mortar stores are quickly on their way to being a thing of the past. I am not amusing with being forced to go to a store if I want to watch a movie that has been just released. Just in this past week alone there was at least 5 movies I would have rented off the AppleTV *if* they were available. I also wanted to rent Hancock, but since they won't want people renting stuff in the first 2 weeks ... welp, guess what I did ? Nope, didn't bittorrent it ... just going to borrow it from a friend.

The movie industry is an unbelievably greedy industry with skeletons piloting it. Its time for them to embrace technology or close up shop.

I have said it countess times, I don't mind DRM ... just make it reasonable for me to legitimately acquire the content. Go ahead movie studios, keep pissing off your customers and continuing watching your profits plummet.

 

[gkarris]

I think its painfully clearly, the movie studios don't want my money. Why else would they go to great lengths to make it so difficult for me to legitimately purchase content.

Don't you have stores in San Fran? We have tons in Chicago (and corrupt Governers too )

Well, what do you expect ... we live in a digital age where brick and mortar stores are quickly on their way to being a thing of the past..

Hmm, I just was at a suburb where along the road, there are 10 miles of brick-and-mortar stores...

 

[mikeinternet]

I guess this will just force more people to download free torrents.

good, more seeders.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Why do people keep talking about piracy when it has nothing to do w/what's going on? Distributors make more money selling exclusive rights to cable and TV networks than they do dealing w/iTMS so is it a surprise that the iTMS doesn't get preferential treatment?

From the CNET article linked to in the OP:

The situation comes down to basic dollars and cents. At this point, the revenue from TV deals dwarfs the money Netflix and iTunes generate. One recent study found that movie downloads make up only 0.06 percent of studio revenue, said Jan Sexton, an analyst with Adams Media Research. She said her firm estimates that the return is a little higher but is still tiny. Sexton said the studios can't be expected to dump these very lucrative release windows until the Internet sees much wider adoption.

0.06 percent. You aren't going to get anyone to radically alter their business model for 0.06 percent.

Things are changing but it's going to take many years. This isn't something that's just going to happen overnight.


Lethal

 

[bilbo--baggins]

Why do people keep talking about piracy when it has nothing to do w/what's going on? Distributors make more money selling exclusive rights to cable and TV networks than they do dealing w/iTMS so is it a surprise that the iTMS doesn't get preferential treatment?

From the CNET article linked to in the OP:

0.06 percent. You aren't going to get anyone to radically alter their business model for 0.06 percent.

Things are changing but it's going to take many years. This isn't something that's just going to happen overnight.


Lethal

Yes, very shortsighted. Trying to limit the growth of what is ultimately going to take over from mindless television.

When view on demand is considered normal, and scheduled programming a thing of the past, old fashioned TV will seem so arcane.

Mind you, I cannot stand radio - listening to someone elses choice of music. I'm increasingly finding the same with TV - I go weeks between watching something being broadcast on TV, most of my viewing is stuff I've recorded and transferred to my Apple TV.

 

[mattwolfmatt]

This reminds me of the Disney DVD model...movies like Pinnochio and Snow White and so on are only available for a short while, then they disappear. The result: every collector snatches them up while they're on the market. Soon I'm sure we'll hear that - one at a time - they're available on Blu-ray, but only through the end of the month! Then they're "back in the Disney vaults, forever!"

Also, is 6 positives and 100 negatives a macrumors record? I've never seen such a polarizing topic! Not even the Seinfeld Microsoft ads had this negative a reaction.

 

[pyramid6]

I can't speak for everyone, but I don't buy DVDs anymore. [I do buy CDs but that is because I want them in lossless format.] Most movies are crap, I don't have the time [and won't make time] to watch them, they take up space and can get ruined. When I do watch DVDs, it's through some online service. I don't own a landline phone, I don't have cable tv, and I don't watch broadcast tv. I haven't missed a show I wanted to watch. If I it need it on physical media, I can get it through NetFlix. I'm not alone in this. Media distribution is changing. iTunes is the largest music retailer, they are 100% online and digital. If anyone thinks that visual media isn't going to go the same way, they are mistaken. The only questions is will it be QT, Silverlight or Flash.

Also, I don't go to the movie theaters anymore.

 

[CaptainCannabis]

I always buy movies online, and download them through itunes.
But.. good reason to download them illegally now, if they **** with the customer, thats the price they have to pay.

 

[mattwolfmatt]

I always buy movies online, and download them through itunes.
But.. good reason to download them illegally now, if they **** with the customer, thats the price they have to pay.

Uh, if you buy them on itunes, you own them forever, no matter if they get taken off itunes or not.

Extra coolness points for using a fake curse word, though!

 

[surferfromuk]

I find this whole tedious pseudo-orwellian global market control syndrome a total drag. I really wish it'd just piss off and that we could have one global online store that sold everything with no territorial restrictions.

Have 50 of them with the exact same content if you want - I really don't care - I'll just use the one I like.


This jackass corporate ******** is a poor repeat of the CD-MP3 thing all over again.

 

[OriginalMacRat]

Uh, if you buy them on itunes, you own them forever, no matter if they get taken off itunes or not.

You do realize that those files are periodically checked by iTunes, right?

All it takes is for Apple to flip a bit on the server and your iTunes files bought from Apple won't play anymore.

DRM only lasts as long as it is allowed to. Not forever.

 

[pondie84]

Why do people keep talking about piracy when it has nothing to do w/what's going on? Distributors make more money selling exclusive rights to cable and TV networks than they do dealing w/iTMS so is it a surprise that the iTMS doesn't get preferential treatment?

From the CNET article linked to in the OP:

0.06 percent. You aren't going to get anyone to radically alter their business model for 0.06 percent.

Things are changing but it's going to take many years. This isn't something that's just going to happen overnight.


Lethal

Yes. But allowing people to buy content from itunes and allowing the content to be sold for broadcast on TV are not mutually exclusive as far as I'm aware. If the amount of people who download from itunes is really so insignificant as to make up 0.06 per cent of their revenue it's hard to imagine that it would impact on TV audiences that much so there would be nothing to complain about.

 

[cmwade77]

I can't imagine using 250 GB in one month. These must be people who do all the peer-to-peer stuff.

Actually, by the time you add up:
Taking Photos (I can take 100 GB of Photos in a month alone) and uploading all of them to your backup.
Doing online backups (I have two 500 GB External Drives and a 80 GB Internal drive on one computer and a 120 GB Internal drive on my laptop)
Using Skype
Emails (Web Based)
Downloading files (legally, such as programs from download.com)
Downloading music (again legally from itunes)
Downloading movies (again legally from itunes)
Playing online games
Remotely logging into your computer and using it.

It adds up fast, I have Comcast and I have yet to be shut off or contacted, but I know I must come close and I definitely would come closer if I didn't make extensive use of free wifi networks with my laptop.

 

[cmwade77]

You do realize that those files are periodically checked by iTunes, right?

All it takes is for Apple to flip a bit on the server and your iTunes files bought from Apple won't play anymore.

DRM only lasts as long as it is allowed to. Not forever.

Actually, if they tried that, there would be a ton of lawsuits (and justifiably so), bottom line is if I buy it, it's mine, period, now I can't go and sell copies of it or give it away to friends, but I can keep it as long as I want to. It's why I use firewalls, I only allow the information that I want to come in or go out.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Yes. But allowing people to buy content from itunes and allowing the content to be sold for broadcast on TV are not mutually exclusive as far as I'm aware. If the amount of people who download from itunes is really so insignificant as to make up 0.06 per cent of their revenue it's hard to imagine that it would impact on TV audiences that much so there would be nothing to complain about.

The 0.06% is the revenue the studio makes on the movie as a whole. What we don't know is is what percentage of the revenue of cable companies and TV networks is based around movies. I wound venture a guess that it's a good amount since the companies are obviously willing to pay for exclusive rights to distribute those films. Also, if it's a film that is shown during sweeps then the importance is much greater because sweeps is used as a basis for how much broadcasters charge for ad sales. For a multitude of reasons TV viewership is down, which means revenue is down, and especially in this current economic climate no one is going to leave any money on the table.

Once download numbers start picking up things will change, but like I said before it's going to take a long time. Hollywood has historically been slow to warm up to new distribution models and you can't expect an industry to ditch what works for something unproven at the drop of a hat.


Lethal

 

[MrCrowbar]

I've seen this happen with albums and/or songs in the past. They just aren't there any more.

Silly to me, since they don't take "shelf space" but if someone doesn't want Apple selling their music or movies, I guess that's up to them.

Gary

Well, there needs to be some way for the artists and producers to pull the content. Imagine you posted an emberassing video on youTube when you were totally drunk and were not able to delete it from youTube afterwards. Artists might change political views or something and like to have some controversial stuff removed.

What's happening here on iTunes is pure marketing though. The studios pull it from the online store to force people to watch it on live TV. This (theoretically) creates higher ratings, thus more money because more people are exposed to the commercials.

But then of course the middle-class (i.e. the people with disposable income) has TiVos and DVRs so that whole TV commercial thing is a dead-end in the long run.

 

[MrCrowbar]

Actually, if they tried that, there would be a ton of lawsuits (and justifiably so), bottom line is if I buy it, it's mine, period, now I can't go and sell copies of it or give it away to friends, but I can keep it as long as I want to. It's why I use firewalls, I only allow the information that I want to come in or go out.

Actually you don't own it, you have a licence to play it for private use.
If your CD is scratched up and won't play, you can send it it and they will give you a new one.

 

[jicon]

I'd like to have a little more transparency of the deals movie studios have made with Apple. A LOT of movies on the Canadian iTunes store have had the rental option dropped.

Of particular interest, no Pixar movies are rentable... only for purchase. Sounds to me that Mr. Jobs may be looking at the best revenue angle possible, hence no rent option available (?)

 

[eleven59]

these dinosaur studios with their dinosaur business models keep shooting themselves in the foot. they are missing out on opportunities to capaltalize on the future but are scared bc they judge us all to be crooks. in the long run i hope it destroys them and bankrupts them. good riddance!!

 

[mkrishnan]

I've seen this happen with albums and/or songs in the past. They just aren't there any more.

Actually, FWIW, I have a habit of leaving tons of songs that I never get around to buying in my Shopping Cart. I have maybe 60-70 songs in there. I put them there to remember to buy them later, but sometimes I don't want them anymore.

Of the ~70 songs in there, some 20-30 of them are not available anymore....